title: Socioeconomic status and the cerebellar grey matter volume. Data from a well-characterised population sample.
abstract: The cerebellum is highly sensitive to adverse environmental factors throughout the life span. Socioeconomic deprivation has been associated with greater inflammatory and cardiometabolic risk, and poor neurocognitive function. Given the increasing awareness of the association between early-life adversities on cerebellar structure, we aimed to explore the relationship between early life (ESES) and current socioeconomic status (CSES) and cerebellar volume. T1-weighted MRI was used to create models of cerebellar grey matter volumes in 42 adult neurologically healthy males selected from the Psychological, Social and Biological Determinants of Ill Health study. The relationship between potential risk factors, including ESES, CSES and cerebellar grey matter volumes were examined using multiple regression techniques. We also examined if greater multisystem physiological risk index-derived from inflammatory and cardiometabolic risk markers-mediated the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and cerebellar grey matter volume. Both ESES and CSES explained the greatest variance in cerebellar grey matter volume, with age and alcohol use as a covariate in the model. Low CSES explained additional significant variance to low ESES on grey matter decrease. The multisystem physiological risk index mediated the relationship between both early life and current SES and grey matter volume in cerebellum. In a randomly selected sample of neurologically healthy males, poorer socioeconomic status was associated with a smaller cerebellar volume. Early and current socioeconomic status and the multisystem physiological risk index also apparently influence cerebellar volume. These findings provide data on the relationship between socioeconomic deprivation and a brain region highly sensitive to environmental factors.
authors.affiliation: Sackler Institute of Psychobiological Research, Institute of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, UK, jonathan.cavanagh@glasgow.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cavanagh
authors.forename: Rajeev
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Krishnadas
authors.forename: G David
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Batty
authors.forename: Harry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Burns
authors.forename: Kevin A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Deans
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ford
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McConnachie
authors.forename: Agnes
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McGinty
authors.forename: Jennifer S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: McLean
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Millar
authors.forename: Naveed
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sattar
authors.forename: Paul G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Shiels
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tannahill
authors.forename: Yoga N
authors.initials: YN
authors.lastname: Velupillai
authors.forename: Chris J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Packard
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McLean
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001786:Blood Glucose; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D018672:Community Health Planning; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000097:blood; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012923:Social Class
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D015850:Interleukin-6; D008074:Lipoproteins; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D006854:Hydrocortisone